underrated hair metal albums underrated hair metal albums

Those first two albums are absolutely awesome. The McAuley/Schenker albums don't get much love in general but, though they do indeed sound very late-80s, they're full of good songs and feature both main men in excellent form Dangerous Toys - Dangerous Toys (1989) If not, let me jog your memory. Im too afraid to reread the rest of my post to see what else I mistyped. I should really pick up some Lillian Axe sometime. 1 hit, "More Than Words," and the album it was released off of, "Extreme II: Pornograffitti.". Read Part 1 of this series here: https://vwmusicrocks.com/return-to-the-sunset-strip-10-underrated-glam-hair-metal-era-albums/, Read part 3 of this series here: https://vwmusicrocks.com/the-headbangers-ball-reaches-its-edge-10-underrated-glam-hair-metal-era-albums-part-iii/, Andrew Daly (@vwmusicrocks) is the Editor-in-Chief for www.vwmusicrocks.com and may be reached at andrew@vinylwriter.com. Erotic Suicide - Abusement Park & Perseverance Gotta do some digging there. Aside from the Ozzy connections with the Rough Cutt and Britny Fox albums, heres anotherAside from being the original guitarist in Ratt(! To nobody's surprise, "III Sides to Every Story" followed that labeling trend as well, but what you could hear on that album was anything but stereotypical glam. Love Ted Poley's voice. I didn't discover this album until a few years ago, and it, too, has slowly inched its way into my all-time hair metal Top 10. With a much harder edge than the previous release, the second album was produced in Los Angeles by renowned Keith Olsen. As we alluded to in our aforementioned first article, Hair Metal and Glam are often derided and chided as genres that are less than. Well, if the article did one thing, its drawn many fellow Hair/Glam loving brothers and sisters out of the woodwork, and for that, were thankful. Louder is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. But "hard rock" is just too broad, and "cock rock"? Thanks so much for the comment! Wildside is still one of my faves simply because it was so much heavier than all the bands at that time and darker too. Blue Murder Blue Murder (1989) The guitar tone is annoying, but When the Mirror Cracks has some KILLER songs. The album was recorded at Eddie Van Halen's 5150 home studio, and Wildside was the first band other than Van Halen to record there. Blending the best of 80's AOR rock with just the right amount of hair metal, the album features some of the era's best rock songs and two of the best power ballads of the late 80's/early 90's. . For me, Aces positioning at the number one spot on this list is both hard-earned and well deserved. The band itself was formed in 1982, and the original Mk.1 lineup actually featured legendary guitar hero Jake E. Lee, while Lee would leave Rough Cutt in 1983, to join Ozzy Osbourne as a replacement for the recently deceased Randy Rhodes (freak plane crash), soon to sign on were former members of Ratt in Chris Hager (guitar) and Matt Thorr (bass). I am well aware that Bon Jovi is not underrated, but I wouldnt be doing my job with this list, if I didnt create a little controversy by stirring the pot, so welcome to Jersey, heres Jon Bon Jovi and his band of merry minstrels. To this day, George Lynch's solo in "Tooth & Nail" leaves my jaw on the floor. A lot of it's not that "metal," some of it's not that "glam," most bands' membersregardless of genrehave "hair," and so on. There are tons and tons of other glam/hair metal bands that never quite received their due (hell, I'd argue that bands like Lynch Mob and Vain still deserve a little more love). This is an album that was completely buried by the Alt-Rock and Grunge craze that was sweeping the nation in the early 90s. It stands toe to toe and chest to chest with any Hair and Glam Metal album of the era. I meancome on, Space Ace Frehley basically invented Glam Metal with KISS. White Lion are actually my second favorite hair band, but I know they won't rank high on any all time list simply because they were considered wimpy, mainly because they loaded their albums with love songs. That Beau Nasty is kicking my ass right now! #bringstadiumrockback #besteraGreat White Live Ritz 1988 - All Over Nowhttps://youtu.be/gBiAnQXuF6w1- . Hericane Alice formed in Minnesota in the mid-'80s, and released their debut self-titled EP in 1986 under the properly spelled name of Hurricane Alice. Posted on March 17, 2021 by Olivier in Uncategorized // 0 Comments. While the late Meat Loaf was a true showman with a near-operatic voice, Bat Out of Hell featured an . You'll find this album at at least the top five of any hair metal list, and mine is no different. Ill have to dig it out and give it another chance. It was formed by the same dude who invented the most popular and inherently-flawed-leaving-endless-bullshit-marketing-for-upgrades-rather-than-just-make-a-great-product-in-the-first-place piece of guitar technology, Mr. Floyd Rose, who, although he did an acceptable job of producing and engineering both Q5 albums overall, did an unacceptable job of engineering the guitar sounds for both albums, and did not have enough finesse as a lead player to make his solos sound pleasing (although he wasnt awkward like Steve Howe, he was no George Lynch). When it comes to underrated hair metal, I always sing the praises of Kik Tracee. This video is inspired by @rockandmetalinvasion who did a video in response to a 'Goldmine' article with 5 'underrated' Hair Metal albums. He is still waiting for Billy Gibbons to send him a bottle of hot sauce he was promised several years ago. Honestly, its not easy stepping into the shoes of a Guitar God, at the height of a bands fame, in the middle of a hysterical wave of Hair Metal mania, but thats exactly what Kee Marcello did. Vinyl Writer MusicsThe Road to The Roxy: 10 Underrated Glam & Hair Metal Era Albums Part II: Completely badass feel, and I really think they wouldve ruled the rock world if the vocalist had made a better style choice. In 1991 while Metallica and Guns 'N Roses were sliding into mediocrity, Skid Row move into legendary status, improving leaps and bounds over their debut. Some GREAT tips, thanks! Great White was so much more than just "Once BittenTwice Shy.". "The Ballad of Jane" is one the best hair metal ballads ever. Poison's first two usually get more recognition, but this is their finest moment. I listen to tons of bands that I dont agree with lyrically, though (christian bands, satanic bands, krishna bands, etc.). Leatherwolf circa 1987, and Street Ready circa 1989 are two overlooked (or forgotten) treasures. Here is where people will start screaming. If he doesnt belong at the top of this list, I dont know who does. While there's a good handful of underrated bands of this ilk that do still get mild exposure here and there, I'm for the most part trying to stick with personal favorites that I've never even encountered on satellite radio channels such as Hair Nation, etc. Shortly thereafter, Rough Cutt disbanded, and while they have managed to regroup here and there, you wouldnt expect to see them headlining any summer 2021 legacy act tours with Styx or Journey anytime soon. The '80s have taught us that you could expect a lot of things from Blackie Lawless, but releasing a concept album wasn't one of them. Sadly, all of this complexity and diversity of "Dog Eat Dog" went under the radar of most mainstream music fans, as the association Warrant with all the corny aspects of glam was simply too strong. The Nelson brothers could write a hell of a song, because every one on this album is catchy and loaded with hooks. Tommy Paris filled some big shoes and did so with grace and ease. Aversionline 2000 - 2023. Harem Scarem - Mood Swings (1993) *this one is particularly good! Stay tuned for a potential part 3! Kickstart your hearts and shout at the devil because en route are more huge hooks, mighty guitar licks, and most importantly, more sleaze coming your way, faster and harder than ever. Probably everyone on Earth has heard "Rock You Like A Hurricane.". and Classic Rock, Associate Editor on Q magazine and staff writer/tea boy on Raw, not necessarily in that order. Unfortunately, in most cases, the label stuck like a nasty coffee stain, while the attempts of self-reinventing usually didn't go well. Another great hair metal band that has gone totally underrated. Especially the song Gotta Run. You simply live in a cave if you have not heard at least one song from this album. Ace Frehley Frehleys Comet (1987) By that point, oversaturation was just starting to set in, and so, if you werent truly aces, you werent going to make it. Swingin Thing - Desperate Living. Well, I am here to tell you that those people are assholes. A good snotty, snarly album. Heavy Bones came relatively early in Hoey's professional career (having moved from Boston to Los Angeles in the late-'80s upon the recommendation of Ozzy Osbourne, after auditioning for the position that ultimately went to Zakk Wylde), and released but one self-titled album on Reprise Records in 1992. Both Use Your Illusion albums sold like 10 million copies in the first minute after their release. While she may not have been a pure speed shredder, she more than made up for it with tasteful and melodic licks, which always fit Vixens songs like a glove. Thanks! Its worth every second. They sound like Toto, Journey or Asia. fans weren't really expecting may have only hindered this otherwise amazing release, which, coupled with other unfortunate circumstances, made the supporting tour for the album arrive 15 whole years too late. This is easily their greatest album. However, as the Grunge revolution came about in the early '90s, Kiss albums saw a significant decrease in sales numbers, and "Revenge" was no exception. In my opinion the most underrated glam/hair bands are Britny Fox, Danger Danger and the Sleeze Beez. 09. Speaking of Vixen, here they are! Had a minor hit with "House of Pain," but never really went anywhere. "Headed For A Heartbreak" is an awesome ballad. Anyway, come what may, I will stand by this pick for a few reasons: 1) Ace Frehley wasnt an old man in 1987, but at 36, he was something of an elder statesman of the Rock world, and the fact remained that he is perpetually cited as a direct influence to nearly all those who came after him. All of that aside, go back and listen to Rock Soldiers, Love Me Right, Into the Night, and Calling to You. Those tracks are transcendent rockers, and his backing band of Tod Howarth, John Regan, and Anton Fig are a truly inspired bunch who had sensational chemistry. Femme Fatale - Femme Fatale (1988) While the era of 80s Hair Metal and Glam is mostly known as being predominantly male, several females infiltrated the scene and staked their claim as well. This, their best album contains the song "Metal Health" which is, according to Kevin DuBrow, the original FU song. In retrospect, the tone and style of the record truly are the last of what we have come to know as Glam Metal styling, as not too many albums like it came out afterward if any did at all. It probably suffered from being dumped into the blender that was the 80s Hair Metal scene. Sebastian Bach is THE singer of the hair metal genre. That Dangerous Toys disc rules, and despite them getting so much shit back in the day those first two Winger albums are very solid. When it comes down to it, the 1980s was an interesting time in general. Rough Cutt Rough Cutt (1985) I don't consider Van Halen a hair band per se, but I swear, every guitarist in the 80's wanted to be Eddie Van Halen, and their songs would fit right into the hair metal genre. Besides, doesn't "Love Of A Lifetime" make the perfect wedding song? This album defined early L.A. glam metal. Shortly after the Retrospect Records reissue, Real Steel performed at Rocklahoma 2008 and were talking about working on new material, but it would appear nothing much came of that. 02. http://. That said, there is another piece to this entire feedback puzzle, and thats the comments that went something like, You forgot this album, or, How could you leave out this or that one? So, we listened, and we took a great many of your suggestions to heart, and Ive added some of them to this latest edition. Get out there and listen to it. Hey, you never got that with Warrant. Page 1 of 3 1 2 3 Next > R79 Forum Resident Thread Starter. Beau Nasty - Dirty But Well Dressed Haha! Sure, we all know and love Cherry Pie, but Dog Eat Dog is where its at. But their debut is way more fun: a rough-arsed glam-punk gem that came on like Poison, if Brett Michaels had grown up in Cardiff and spent every Saturday night getting in a fight down Bogiez. One of the many albums in the early 80's that helped bring metal to the mainstream. As expected Ive only heard of two or three of the bands you listed off there. Speaking of late-stage Hair Metal, this record is about as late as it gets in that regard. Simply put, if you want to put your art out into the world, you better be prepared to take some heat, which is something any self-respecting hair metal artist can certainly understand. . The perfect hair metal album, and one of the last ones before the glory days came to an end. Yeah, the Chicago bands none-more-unique selling point was perma-squinting frontman Stanley who, when he wasnt spitting out genius fuck-you anthems Jawohl Asshole and Fuckin Shit-Ass, lived on the street and had the malodorous clothes and propensity for shitting in public to prove it. Good lists. However, it also proved to be not very radio-friendly in a couple of ways 1) for being a record by a "glam" band, and 2) for having rather mature lyrical content. Best selling and most recognizable of TS's output, it is also their best. i hung around with Joker in the old days and went to High school with the guitarist.I hope they do come back. With the success of all-female Hair Metal group Vixen, MCA was certain that Femme Fatale would rise hard and fast, but it was not to be. Were much better - especially live. No, I only stumbled upon this CD in a local used bin for $5 (alongside Roxxi's Drive it to Ya Hard!, so talk about a huge score) a few years ago, and totally flipped out when I tossed it in for the first time. He seems to be singing about an octave and a half lower on the first one, and the overall energy on Lettin Loose is far greater. Totally different album, and utterly, completely epic and emotional awesome. Enuff Z'Nuff is when the Beatles become a hair metal band. Only time will tell. Because of their look, they were thought of as a Poison copy. Apparently they had even written a bunch of new songs and were in pre-production for their second album when they got dropped. Put together by former members of Bay Area crossover crew Attitude Adjustment who swapped their white hi-tops for cheap leather trousers and bargain-shop bandanas, their debut album plunged its needle into the same vein of bluesy cock rock as fellow greasers Circus Of Power and Little Caesar, throwing in some hardcore-esque gang vocals and nailing their were-not-White Lion cred with a punkabilly cover of Johnny Cashs Folsom Prison Blues. Record labels, radio stations, and the mainstream audience themselves all got very tired of this approach and embraced the Seattle underground sound instead, which led to a lot of bands who were all the rage only years before disband and/or become highly irrelevant. I'll never understand what it is that makes some bands "click" while others that are just as good if not better simply fade away into relative obscurity. Iron Maiden - Piece Of Mind (1983) The biggest problem with Iron Maiden 's fourth album is that it's sandwiched between the twin juggernauts that are The Number Of The Beast and Powerslave. Less than two years later, Femme Fatale broke up in 1990, ending what could have been a promising career. White Lion Fight To Survive (1985). with Jim Gillette! So, what did they do? Fans yawning at this pick, who crave the genius of one John Norum, I implore you to give this one a shot, as Kee Marcello is a virtuoso in his own right. Also, their weren't too many other guitarists from this era that could rival Vito Bratta's playing. It's a very solid record, though, highlighted by the superb "Dead End St." (included above)a dark, brooding power ballad complete with emotive leads and vocals. Dont ever let anyone tell you the music you love sucks or is less than. Sadly, the band is probably best remembered for their track Touch and Go, being featured on the extremely dated teen comedy, License to Drive. Vain was less poppy than most cock rock bands, and they just had a serious vibe in their sound. Butas with every band cited abovethe story's the same: having been right around the time of the grunge takeover, it didn't happen and the end was near. No makeup, no hairspray, just a t shirt and jeans band, a "working man's" band. Listen to the record, and these performances, and prove me wrong. And while the album never saw a significant spike in the number of copies sold, "Revenge" did manage to draw enough attention to give Kiss a new lease on life, effectively saving the NYC iconic band from drifting into obscurity. Full of sleaze and attitude, one of the better hair metal albums to come out at the tail end of the 80's. Very slick production, the epitome of pop metal. Songs like "Rest in Peace", "Tragic Comic", and "Warheads" had cleverly arranged harmonies, featured very diverse stylistic approaches, and all had engaging lyrics, but the album produced no hit singles and ended up a commercial disaster despite being the highlight of Extreme's career. (I was gonna say Hair Metal but I hate reducing things to genres) JackOfAllTrades, Mar . But the music on this album is so infectious, you really won't care if they had no gimmick. If people only listened to bands whose lyrical content was largely aligned with their own views it would be quite limiting. I would suggest though a few more bands that arent as well known. A dud. Most of their material follows a slower, pulsing paceat times leaning a touch more towards classic, traditional heavy metal than much of this list (notably during "On My Way," dueling leads 'n' all). Rounding out this powerhouse line-up was Share Ross on bass and the thunderous Roxy Petrucci on drums, who is as hard a hitting drummer as youll ever hear. Extreme is best known for their No. http:// That's a long time. Tesla had no gimmick. Its also remembered as the official debut of the now-iconic Bon Jovi logo that we have all come to know and love, and while there arent too many songs that would make a standard greatest hits list, save for In and Out of Love, this record is filled with heavy-hitting deep cuts that are sure to satiate your appetite for sleazecakes. When I wrote Return to the Sunset Strip: 10 Underrated Glam & Hair Metal-Era Albums, I didnt really know what to expect. Guitarist Michael Angelo Batio is well known for his guitar instructional videos Speed Kills and he also played guitar in the band Nitro (The Double Headed Guitar!) So being that I grew up on this stuff and have been doing a hair metal podcast for 20 years Ill lay on a few more underrated jems: BANG TANGO Psycho Cafe, DANGEROUS TOYS self-titled debut, LYNCH MOB Wicked Sensation, DON DOKKEN Up From the Ashes, FIREHOUSE self-titled debut, KIX Hot Wire, XYZ Hungry, ICON self-titled debut, BANYLON A.D. self-titled debut, CHILDS PLAY Rat Race, EXTREME self-titled debut, RACER X Second Heat, SLEEZE BEEZ Screwed, Blued, & Tattooed, and lastly Y&T, they have so many underrated albums it is mind blowing. Do NOT pass this one up. Dave Everley has been writing about and occasionally humming along to music since the early 90s. That said, aside from the classic Smooth Up In Ya, BulletBoys has become a largely forgotten record, and the band is rarely mentioned in those generic MTV/VH1 best of the 80s lists. Sure, they were sort of late-stage Hair Metal, but these guys rock hard, so if you see this record, scoop it up. Maybe even an old T-shirt laying around! Shark Who? BulletBoys came with a pedigree right from the start, as the band was founded by Mick Sweda (guitar), who had already starred in the also underrated King Kobra. I quipped about hipsters sitting in cafs and dredging Hair Metal the first time around. Warrant Dog Eat Dog (1992) Though there really wasn't much substance to the music, the scene was popular to the mainstream. Or why not treat yourself? Wake Me When It's Over (1989) Full of sleaze and attitude, one of the better hair metal albums to come out at the tail end of the 80's. Had a minor hit with "House of Pain," but never really went anywhere. Roxy Blue. Southgang - Tainted Angel This one went way under the radar, but definitely deserves a spot in hair metal history. Although they werent truly a hair metal band, Leatherwolfs Street Ready album has many of those kinds of sonic qualities and is packed with killer songs. Or the impeccable "Somewhere in Time," which honestly touches on a much more "authentic" level of metal or hard rock (akin to maybe Queensrche or something) with its prominent but not distracting keyboards and thought-out, composed leads? However, make no mistake-their third record Bite Down Hard, is a rager. On a commercial level, it didnt do much, which isnt a surprise given the era it was ruthlessly dropped into. Tyketto - Dont Come Easy It's also worth noting that their early tracks as Young Gunns were equally awesome, and the B-sides from Under the Influence are pretty incredible (to the point of being significantly better than some of the album tracks, not that it would've made a difference in the end, sadly). The Toys could have been worthy successors to Guns N Roses, but this album pretty well fell flat in 1989. But before we go on, bands like Def. For me, Europes Out of this World is an AOR masterpiece. Heres how it works. Fantastic band. This is a band that was supremely talented but simply didnt hang around long enough to really make any waves. This album is one that was sort of at odds with itself upon its release. Vinyl Writer Musics10 Underrated Glam & Hair Metal Era Albums: Thrash and hair metal made for strange bedfellows, though nobody told Two-Bit Thief. The 10 Most Underrated Hair Metal Guitarists Of The '80s | News | VH1 The 10 Most Underrated Hair Metal Guitarists Of The '80s Bang your hair to glam jam guitar gods from Kiss,. The worlds biggest and best metal magazine, (Image credit: Getty Images/Scott Dudelson/Brian Rasic), Robb Flynn: "This gang threatened to throw grenades onstage while I played". 1. The hair came down, the makeup came off, and Poison actually started to write music with a message. Real Steel (well done for resisting Reel) are the pick of the bunch for me, almost hints of Manowar circa Fighting The World on there 2 thumbs up! You remember Great White, right? Love em, Leave emAs long as their breathin! -Love on the Run. An around pop metal romp in the early 90's, one of the last bands to come out of the genre successfully before the ship sank. But their debut is way more fun: a rough-arsed glam-punk gem that came on like Poison, if Brett Michaels had grown up in Cardiff and spent every Saturday night getting in a fight down Bogiez. W.A.S.P. Its an album that you can listen from beginning to the end, and wont find any bad song. A bit more polished and focused than their debut, which I personally prefer over this one, but this is the album that blew the door open for the entire 80's hair metal genre. picdoc 4 yr. ago. Wildside did release one more album in 1995 (on an indie label), but had undergone some lineup changes and a complete shift in sound by that pointironically enough taking a stab at the grungier style that had destroyed their initial shot at success. Some will say their success is attributed to the novelty of women playing Metal. Then again, "Heat Me Up" is a prime cut of typically structured hair metal with a raspier snarl to the vocals; while "She's Untouchable" combines crunchy rhythms, fluid melodies, and slick vocal harmonies. If anyone at all loves Cock Rock, No Respect by Vain should be in their collection, and Davy Vains subsequent efforts have all been respectable. Its no joke that their debut was produced by Paul Northfield, the inimitable force behind Moving Pictures and the song Empire by Queensryche (just a couple of my favorites in a cool career), two completely different examples of dark rock sounding fantastic. "Don't Close Your Eyes" is one of the best ballads ever written. By. I still dont really know what makes something good or bad, and I really dont think I am qualified to tell you what you should like or dislike. Perma-pouting Hollywood fluffballs Pretty Boy Floyd made Motley Crue sound like Napalm Death and Ratt look like, well, Napalm Death. Dokken's greatest. 13 Most Underrated Hair Metal Albums Of All Time!! Sure, John Norum is tough to replace, but you could do a whole lot worse than the wonderfully talented Kee Marcello. Tracks like "Let Go," "Dead Inside," and "Painting The White To Grey" absolutely crush. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. This album gave a huge kick in the ass to the genre when it was spawning hundreds of wanna be's. 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At the end of the day, time hasnt ever been kind to this record, and it can be had for cheap. The classic lineup released I'm A Rebel (1980), Breaker (1981), Restless And Wild (1982), Balls To The Wall (1983), Metal Heart (1985), Russian Roulette (1986) and finally Eat The Heat in 1989 which featured American vocalist David Reece and featured a more mainstream sound. The albums got better after their sales peak - Dog Eat Dog, and especially Ultraphobic. During that time, he has been Deputy Editor on Kerrang! I would KILL to reissue the Tuff Luck album too. Great White was the would-be Blues-Rock band, that simply couldnt help but indulge in Hair Metal. Say what you will about KISS or my placement of this record, but there is no denying its greatness. Alice Cooper's pop metal album, loaded with great players and great songs. Blackie Friggin Lawless. 08. Whereas Skid Row got marketed as your run-of-the-mill pretty boy glam metal outfit from the get-go, their self-titled debut showed that they were capable of much more than providing quick and cheap amusement for the masses, and their sophomore album "Slave to the Grind" made the most of the band's prodigious potential. Who ever thought that Def Leppard could make an album that would outsell Pyromania? SPREAD EAGLE (SELF TITLED) Start to finish is frigging beast mode appetite for destruction part 2, Hell yeahhhhhhhh cant wait for that to wake people up to the best or atleast 2nd best album of that era!!! Warrant's biggest seller, though not quite their best (see Dog Eat Dog), but this album is what early 90's hair metal was all about. There's a great snarl to the vocals, loads of gritty riffs (and excellent guitar playing in general), etc. Vain deserves not a little more love, but a religious following. Blackout in the Red Room has a couple of classics, too, though some of the lyrics get questionable for sure. Thanks. Best Moment: The ambient breakdown in the title track, which leads to a gut-punch guitar solo whose final note resonates for almost 30 seconds. Johnny Rock N' Roll, Mar 3, 2023 at 9:55 AM .